Mechanical piano.



PATENTED APR. 19, 1904.

P. PIOMERO. MECHANICAL PIANO.

APPLmAnoN FILED JAN. 7, '19o4.

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No. 757,566. PATENTBD APR. 19, 1904. P. rommw.

MECHANICAL PIANO.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 7, 1904.

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APPLICATION FILED JAN. 7, 1904.

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Patented April 19, 1904:.

PATENT OFFICE.

PAOLO POMERO, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

MECHANICAL PIANO.

SPEUZFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 757,566, dated April 19, 1904. implication filed January 7, 1904. Serial No. 188,022. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PAoLo PoMERo, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Mechanical Piano, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in mechanical pianos, especially of that class employed as street-pianos, and has for mechanism for the tremolo-hammers arranged at a convenient distance above the peg-cylinder, so that all parts may be readily removed and be in convenient position for examination and repairs and especially for the adjustment frequently necessary in pianos which are constantly exposed to climatic changes.

A further object of the invention is to pro- Vide an improved form of support for the tremolo-hammers, the levers being formed of a number of sections pivotally connected in such manner that the hammer-levers may first be moved or elevated to operative position by the pins or pegs of the barrel and the upper section or sections then operated in order to effect the rapid vibration of the hammer and a production of a desired efiect.

With this and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel structure and combination of parts hereinafter described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that. various changes in form, proportions, and minor de tails of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse sectional elevation of suflicient of a mechanical piano to illustrate the invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan View of the device. Fig. 3 is a detail view of a portion of the operating mechanism on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Figs. 4. and 5 are detail views, on an enlarged scale, of the tremolo-hammer levers. Fig. 6 is a detail view showing the disconnection of the gearing which operates the tremolocylinder when the action-bar is adjusted to inoperative position. Figs. 7 and 8 are sectional views corresponding to Figs. L and 5, respectively, and illustrate a slight modification of the invention.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts of several figures of the drawings.

The casing 10 is of suitable construction and contains bearings for the support of apinbarrel 11, on which are placed pins or pegs for the operation of the hammers, the pins for operating the ordinary hammers or those which operate on the bass-scale being of ordinary construction, while the pins for the operation of the tremolo-hammers are elongated, so as to hold the tremolo-hammers in position for operation for a greater or less period of time, as may be required by the production.

An action-supporting bar 15 extends from side to side of the casing and is provided with suitable pivots 15. This bar is operable in the usual manner to permit the necessary adjustment of the hammers carried thereby into operative positions with respect to the pinbarrel..

Secured to the action-bar are two frames or standards 19, to the upper ends of which is secured a longitudinal bar 20, forming a support for the upper sections of the tremololevers, and these frames are further provided with bearings for the reception of a spindle 21, on which is secured the longitudinallygrooved cylinder 22, forming the actuating element for said tremolo-hammers. Each hammer-lever comprises three sections 23, 24, and 25, and the upper of said sections is connected by a pivot-pin 26 to the supporting-bar 20 and carries the hammer'27. The lower section, 25, is provided with an extended portion, through which passes a pivotpin 28, connecting the hammer-lever, to the action-bar, and each of the levers is held in proper position with respect to the pin-bar-- rel by means of a coiled spring 50, having one end connected with the action-bar and the other end bearing against the forward face of the hammer-lever, the action-bar being provided with a stop-pin for limiting effective movement of the spring.

The intermediate section, 2st, of the hammerlever is hinged or pivoted to the upper end of the lower section, 25, and this connection is preferably at the rear edge of the two sections, and the adjacent edges of said sections are normally maintained in contact with each other by a small spring 31, carried by the lower section and bearing against the rear face of the intermediate section.

The upper end of the intermediate section, 2 of the hammer-lever is provided with a slot 32, into which extends a tongue 33, preferably dovetail in shape,to permit the necessary free movement of the upper or hammer-carrying section of the lever when actuated by the corrugated roller 2'7.

At one end of the spindle 21, preferably at a point outside the standards, is secured a miter-gear 35,with which inter-meshes a mitergear 36 on a transversely-disposed shaft 37, adapted to suitable bearings at one end of the casing. At the front portion of the casing are arranged bearings for a longitudinally-disposed shaft 40, having at one end a miter-gear 4:1 intermeshing with a similar gear- L3, which is secured to or formed integral with the gearwheel 44, these two gears being mounted on a stud carried by the casing.

The gear as intermeshes with a gear or pinion 46 .on the main driving-shaft 47 of the piano, this shaft 4:7 being arranged in the usual manner and provided at one end with a worm intermeshing with a worm-wheel on the end of the pin-barrel and its outer end carrying a suitable operating-crank.

WV hen the parts are in position for operation, the contact of one of the elongated pins of the barrel with the lug or pin at the lower end of the section 25 of the hammer-lever will swing the sections 2 k and 25 of said lever forwardly, with the pin 28 as a center. This results in a correspondingmovement in the opposite direction of the hammer-carrying section 23 of the lever, the hammer being ITIOV ed to a pointclose to the strings against which it is to strike, while a forward and downward] y dependent tongue 48 on the section 23 is moved into engagement with the longitudinal corrugated cylinder 22, and to prevent wear at this point the tongue 48 is preferably provided with a detachable wear-plate 50, which may be readily renewed when required. The cyl inder 22 is rotated as the pin-barrel rotates, butat a much higher speed, and as each of the ribs of said cylinder comes into contact with the tongue 48 the tongue will be forced to the rear, swinging the lower portion of section 23 rearwardly, while the hammer is moved away from the strings. As the lower section 25 is held forward by engagement with the elongated pin of the main barrel, the movement of the upper section cannot affect its position, but the intermediate section, 24, is moved rea-rwardly against the action of its spring, with the pivot or hinge as a center. After the rib passes from engagement with the tongue 48 during the rotation of the cylinder the spring bearing on the section 2% will return the hammer to the strings, the latter striking forcibly against the strings to produce the desired note, and this operation is' kept up so long as the pin of the main barrel holds the section 25 in proper position.

It will be noted that under normal conditions or where a pin on the main barrel is not at the time operating the tongues 48 of the upper sections will be at a point distant from the cylinder 22, and therefore cannot be actuated, the cylinder operating only after the main pin-barrel has lirst adjusted the hammer-lever to the proper position.

The action-bar, as previously described, is mounted in such manner as to permit its swinging forward in order to move all the hammers away from the strings, and thus preventingaccidental striking against the strings while the piano is being moved from place to place, and advantage is taken of this fact in arranging the tremolo attachment in order to permit the disengagement of the gear carried by the cylinder 22, the miter-gear of the cylinder moving out of the mesh with its mating gear when the action-bar is adjusted to the inoperative position.

The tremolo-action may be made as an attachment to pianos already in use by removing a portion of the ordinary hammers and substituting the tremolo-hammcrs and their gearing, frame, and cylinder.

In Figs. 7 andS is illustrated a slight modification of the action. The hammer-lever is formed in three sections 5O, 51, and 52, the lower section being substantially the same as the section 24 and being provided with a pin for engagement by the pegs or pins of the main cylinder. The lower section is pivoted at 28 to the action-bar 15 and is held in operative position by spring 30. The upper end of the section 52 of the lever has a slot 53 for the reception of the lower end of the intermediate section 51, the latter being pivoted on a pin 26. The slot or recess is preferably lined with felt or similar material, as indicated at 54c, and in order to adjust the parts should they become worn and to prevent unnecessary vibration the lower section is provided with a strip 55, which may be formed by a SZLW-liGlf, and the two portions are united by an adjusting-screw 56.

The upper or main section of the hammerlever has a wear-plate 57 to be engaged by the ribs or teeth of the tremolo 22 and will be held in operative position by means of a spring 58, connecting it to the intermediate section 51 of the lever. The lever-section 50 is provided with a pendent tongue 60, which during the operation of' the tremolo-cylinder comes into engagement with a stop 61, lined with felt and carried by an adjustable screw 63, extending through a threaded opening in the intermediate section 51. The operation of this portion of ,,the mechanism is substantially the same as that already described with reference to Figsfli and 5.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. In a device of the class specified, the combination with a pin-barrel, of a hammer-lever formed of a plurality of connected sect1ons,.

one of which is engaged by the pin-barrel to effect movement of the others to operative position, a hammer carried by the upper section, and means for effecting a rapid vibratory movement of said section.

2. In a device of the class specified, the combination with a pin-barrel, of a hammer-lever formed of a plurality of connected sections of which the lower is engaged by the pin-barrel, a hammer carried by the upper section, and a revoluble cylinder having longitudinal ribs to effect rapid vibratory movement of the upper hammer-carrying section.

3. In a device of the class specified. the combination with a pin-barrel, of a hammer-lever formed of a plurality of connected sections of which the lower is engaged by the pin-barrel to effect movement to operative position, a toothed cylinder for engagement with the upper hammer-carrying section of the lever to move the same in one direction, and a spring for effecting movement of said hammer-carrying section in the opposite direction.

4. In a device of' the class specified, the combination with a pin-barrel, of a sectional hammer-carrying lever, said sections having sepa rate pivots and one of the sections being engaged and moved to operative position by the pin-barrel, a tongue forming a part of the hammer-carrying section, a ribbed cylinder with which said tongue is moved into engage ment by movement of the pin-engaged section, and a spring carried by one of the sections and operating on a second section to effect the movement of the hammer against the strings.

5. In a device of the class specified, the combination with a revoluble pin-barrel, of a hammer-carrying lever comprising a lower pivotally-mounted section adapted to be engaged by the pin-barrel, an intermediate section pivotally connected to the lower section, a spring tending to keep the two sections in engagement with each other, an upper hammer-carrying section connected to the intermediate section and movable thereby to operative position, and a revoluble ribbed cylinder for engaging and operating the hammer-carrying section. K A

6. In a device of the class specified, the combination with a pin-barrel, of a hammer-carrying lever comp-rising a lower pivoted section adapted to be engaged by the pin-barrel, an intermediate section having a hinge connection with the lower section, a spring tending to, keep the two sections in engagement with and lower of" said sections having independent v supporting-pivots and the intermediate section being connected to both the upper and lower sections, a ribbed cylinder with which the upper section is movable into engagement by the operation" of the pin-barrel on the lower section, the upperand intermediate sections bogh yielding during the operation of said cylin er.

' 8. In a device of theclass specified, the combination with a pin-barrel, of an operatinglever comprising a lower pivotallymounted section adapted to be engaged by the pin-barrel, a spring for holding said section in operative position, an intermediate section .having a hinge connnection with the lower section and provided at its upper end with a slot, a spring carried by the lower section and operating against the intermediate section, an upper pivotally-mounted section having a dependent tongue engaging a slot of' the intermediate section, a hammer carried by the upper section, a pendent tongue forming a part of the upper section, and a ribbed cylinder for engaging said tongue.

9. In a device of the class specified, the combination with a pin-barrel, of a sectional lever of which the lower portion is engaged by the pin-barrel, a hammer carried by the upper section, supporting-pivots for the upper and lower sections a pendent tongue carried, by the upper section a wear-plate on said tongue, arlid a ribbed cylinder for engaging said wearp ate.

10. In a device of the class specified, the comcylinder having end bearings in the stand:

ards, and means for revolving said cylinder. 11. In a device of the class specified, the combination with a pin-barrel, of a crank-shaft,

worm-gearing connecting the crank-shaft and pin-barrel, a pivoted action-bar, means for adjusting the same to operative and inoperative positions, a series of tremolo-hammers carried by the bar, a ribbed cylinder having supporting-bearings carried by the bar a spindle on which said cylinder is secured, a gear carried by the spindle, and a second gear having an operative connection with the main crank-shaft, the spindle-carried gear being movable out of the mesh with spindle-gearing when the action-bar is adjustable to inoperative position.

12. In adevice of the class specified, the combination with a pin-barrel, of a crank-shaft, connecting-gearing between the crank-shaft and the pinbarrel, a pivoted action bar, standards carried by the bar, tremolo-banimer levers supported by the standards and bar, a ribbed cylinder for actuating the tremolo-hammers, a spindle carrying the cylinder and having bearings in said standards, a mitergear secured to the spindle, a shaft extending transversely of the piano-casing, and mounted in suitable bearings therein, a miter-gear secured to said shaft and with respect to which the spindle-carried gear is adjusted, at horizontally-disposed shaft having bearings at the front of the casing, miter-gears connecting the two shafts, and gearing connections between said horizontal shaft and the crank-shaft.

13. In a device of the class specified, the combination with a pin-barrel, of a hammer-lever formed of a plurality of pivoted sections of which the lower and intermediate sections have a pivotal connection, and are simultaneously adjustable, a main hammer-carrying section having a yieldable connection with the intermediate section, and a stop carried by the intermediate section for engaging the hammer-carrying section.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

PAOLO POMERO.

\Vitnesses:

P. MonnLLI, J osnrn C. MURPI-IEY. 

